Gal 5:1 Christ has given us freedom…don't return to slavery.

Why Do You Want God to Forgive You?

Why would you want to be forgiven? You can answer that question in a very God-belittling way, and a very God-exalting way. If I said, “Of course I want to be forgiven — I hate having a guilty conscience,” that’s a bad answer. It has nothing to do with God.

When my wife is angry at me because I have sinned against her — some ugly word maybe when I get up in the morning and see something that didn’t get done I wanted done — and I speak harshly, which a husband is not supposed to do, and she’s hurt and angry, and I’m guilty, I need her forgiveness. Why? Why would I want that? Because as she stands at the sink, her back manifestly to me, I want her to turn around. And I want her to face me. I want to be able to look into her eyes again and have it be really good.

That’s what forgiveness is for with God. If you don’t cherish your justification, your forgiveness, and your eternal life because they get you God, you need to deal with him more deeply. First Peter 3:18: “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” That’s the end of the gospel.